CCTV released by West Midlands Police show thieves stealing a car with the help of a relay box.
ADVERTISEMENTPolice in Solihull, England released CCTV footage of what is believed to be the first ‘relay crime’.
The video shows thieves using a ‘relay’ device that receives signals from the car keys inside the house, allowing them to steal the vehicle.
A first man waves a relay box in front of the property until it catches the signal from the key and transmits it to a second box placed in front of the car.
The car’s locking system is then tricked into thinking that the vehicle is being opened by the key and so it unlocks.
The entire operation takes about one minute to complete.
Relay boxes can receive signals through walls, doors, and windows but not metal.
West Midlands Police believe this is the first time the device was caught on camera.
The Mercedes-Benz being stolen in the video on September 25 has not been recovered.
Mark Silvester, from the West Midlands Police crime reduction team, said that to protect their cars from this type of theft, owners could “use an additional tested and Thatcham-approved steering lock to cover the entire steering wheel.”